Gene Haas has welcomed Kevin Magnussen to his Haas F1 Team, with the Dane switching from the Renault Sport Formula 1 Team to partner Romain Grosjean in 2017.
The chairman of the newest team on the Formula 1 grid admitted the Dane had long been a target of the American outfit, and Haas believes that the partnership between Magnussen and Grosjean will be key to seeing the team grow.
“From the time we began looking at drivers, Kevin Magnussen was always on our short list,” said Haas. “He’s accomplished a lot in a very short period of time, and we feel like he can accomplish a lot with us.
“Our second season will bring a new set of challenges, and we feel that pairing Kevin with Romain will help us develop our new car and continue our growth.”
Haas also praised the way Grosjean has led the team in 2016, and hopes that with the regulation changes for 2017, he can prove himself a leader within the team again next season.
“We wanted an experienced driver capable of developing our car and our race team into one that can score points and better itself each race and each season,” added Haas. “Romain has done a very good job of that and he’s played a large role in bringing respect and legitimacy to Haas F1 Team.
“We have a new set of challenges next year with a new car and a new set of regulations, and his veteran leadership will again prove valuable.”
Magnussen replaces Esteban Gutierrez in the team for next year, but Haas thanked the Mexican for his efforts this year, even though he has yet to score a point for the team compared to the twenty-nine of team-mate Grosjean.
“I want to thank Esteban Gutierrez for all of his efforts,” said Haas. “He’s been an instrumental part of our first year in Formula One and we’re looking forward to finishing the season strong with him and Romain.”
